Friday, 27 October 2017

I don’t own a lot of jewellery that I wear every day and I always wished that I had something I could put on that would go with most outfits as well as having meaning to me. When I was offered the chance to review an item from Martha Jackson, I had a look through their website and saw that there were plenty of beautiful pieces available. I knew I would be able to find something special here.

I received the Silver Vintage Heart Locket which retails at £37.00 on their website with free UK shipping. This sterling silver locket is a fantastic keepsake and is of beautiful quality. The detailing is fantastic. It came packaged in a little cardboard box with the Martha Jackson logo on the front and inside the locket was wrapped in delicate tissue paper.

The locket has wonderful cut out detailing, it really is a stylish item and something that I was looking for. Martha Jackson give you plenty of options to really make this piece of jewellery unique to you or your recipient. Firstly, there is the option to have the locket engraved. I had ‘Forever Begins 01/12/2018’ put onto the back of mine which signifies my wedding date, the most special date still to come in my life.

You can also add charms such as a key, a gold or silver letter to really make this unique and you can also customise the length of your chain for an additional charge. If you are buying this as a gift for a friend or loved one you have the option to add a personalised message in the box free of charge.

In the centre of the locket is some space to add a photo, or something of meaning. I have added a photo of my fiancé (and my cat!), and a small piece of material from my wedding dress. Things that have a lot of meaning to me, and something I can now keep close to my heart leading up to our wedding, and forever after. There are plenty of beautiful pieces on the Martha Jackson website, so if you are looking for that perfect keepsake or gift idea, please check them out.

What do you think of this gorgeous locket?

*I received this product free of charge in exchange for review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

Friday, 20 October 2017

I have loads of different lip balms in my collection, however they sit in my drawer and don’t stand out to me at all. When I heard about Kaomojibalms, I thought they looked and sounded really fun. A “Kaomoji” is the original Japanese version of an emoji, or emoticon. These lip balms are packaged with an emoji on the front. You can really express yourself with these and I think they look really cute!

Unlike many lip balms currently available on the market, the kaomojibalms aim to use natural products that help to heal chapped lips and moisturise and sooth them long term. With ingredients like Vitamin E, this ensures the effects are long lasting. It is recommended that you use these balms once per day and I have been adding this to my morning beauty routine. The good thing is these can be used alongside other lip products and lipsticks. Only premium ingredients are used and there are no parabens or phthalates. Detailed ingredient information is available on the packaging and on the website. They are also suitable for vegans and have not been tested on animals.

I received 2 different designs as you can see however the original collection launched with 9 products. There are more and more coming out every day. There are four flavours. I received one in Cherry Pom, and one in frosted mint but there is also a coconut cream and French vanilla available. I think the flavours are true to what they say and are scented nicely, they don’t smell cheap. Again, new flavours are being released all the time!

I think the Kaomojibalms would make a great stocking filler this Christmas and a great gift for any friend to brighten their day. You can buy the lip balms in Topshop. For more information head over to the Kaomojibalms Twitter. What do you think of these? Post and share your kaomji-story!

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

Putting on my watch is one of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning and I cannot go about my day unless I am wearing one. When I saw the stylish watches that were available from a brand called Awemix, not only did I think they looked nice, I also thought they were for a very good cause and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.

The watches have been launched by brother and sister team Michael and Sandy Niman. 20% from every £20 watch sold goes to charity which I think is really lovely. Not only does the charity benefit by receiving some money, the Awemix watch designs also raise awareness to the causes that they represent. Since wearing this watch I have had a few compliments and it always sparks a conversation. I think the watches are very affordable and stylish.

I received the watch that has been designed for Breast Cancer, for the charity Keeping Abreast. There is also a watch that has been designed for Norfolk Wildlife Trust for Wildlife & Conservation. The community nominates and votes on which charities they want to support and these are the two that were chosen. Norfolk Wildlife Trust is the oldest Wildlife Trust in the UK and the donations have been used for vital habitat conservation in Norfolk. Keeping Abreast supports women with either breast cancer or the hereditary BRCA gene, who are considering or undergoing immediate or delayed breast reconstruction. The money that they receive from Awemix goes towards funding the services they offer including information, support and practical help.

Awemix watches have partnered with numerous universities across the country, from Aberdeen to UEA, as well as Raise the Bar; a spoken word events company. Awemix Watches can also be found in five stores around East Anglia, with further shops planned. I love that it is local in this sense, but feel proud that they will be branching out nationally.

Overall I personally think the concept is amazing. It is rare that you find a company so passionate about helping others and it really does feel like a good cause. The watches are stylish enough to be worn and I personally feel proud to wear one knowing that they contribute to such good causes.

Head over to Awemix to get your hands on one of these designs. It's for a great cause!

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Monday, 16 October 2017

As you may know, I am getting married next year so I have had the fun task of putting together a rough guest list of who I want to invite. When it comes to single friends, it is difficult to know whether to add a +1 to their invite or not. On one hand, you want them to have someone there so they don’t feel alone but on the other hand you don’t want them inviting someone they’ve known 2 weeks for the sake of having someone there with them. It is difficult, and even more so if you are that single friend trying to decide on whether or not to bring someone alone to such a special occasion.

I have come up with some ideas on how to combat being single at a wedding if you do happen to be in this scenario. On the other hand, when you get the invite through and you see that dreaded ‘+1’, there are options and you do still have time to find the one! If you haven’t heard of Badoo, then I am not sure where you have been! Badoo is the biggest dating app in the world, and is open and exclusive to everyone. With over 360 million registered users worldwide, there is bound to be someone out there for you. Avoid being single at a wedding and sign up to Badoo today, you never know – it could be you next!

Chat to People
When it comes to attending a wedding, be friendly and outgoing. This is an opportunity to meet new people not only on your table but on other tables too. Make conversation on the dance floor, or at the bar. If you look like you are having a good time then people will be more attracted to you and more likely to come over for a chat. You are there to celebrate and support a friend so why not have a good time doing so regardless of whether or not you are single.

With Badoo's sleek new design, chatting to new people couldn’t be easier. Your messages are kept in one place so you can see your conversations with ease. You can even send stickers and emojis. There is now a 2 message limit so if you haven’t replied to someone after 2 messages then the feeling obviously isn’t mutual. A block is then put in place so that no more messages can be sent so gone is the annoyance of having someone constantly spam you with messages. If someone does make you feel uncomfortable then you can very easily block or report them if needed.

Don’t catch the bouquet
Just because you are single doesn’t mean you have to line up and take part in the traditional “catch the bouquet” scenario. Take a breather and don’t allow yourself to be put in that situation where you feel under pressure. Personally, if you’ve seen the price of bridal bouquets recently then the bride will certainly not be throwing it! I think this a tradition that needs to be squashed.

Instead of being outed as single to the whole wedding party, being on Badoo means you can see if any other users are nearby. There is a feature that allows you to discover people who you have walked past or bumped into that day so if any other guests are online, you’ll know about it. That man on the bus that always give you a smile, maybe he is also using Badoo. You won’t know until you download the app.

Take Mental Notes
So you may not be getting married in the near future, so what? Use this time to take in the environment, think about what you would do at your own wedding. Soak it all up and picture what things you would like to incorporate in your big day, and those little things that you wouldn’t bother about. This is a time to get excited about your future! Don’t dwell on the past about relationships that never took off, look towards the future and think “this could be me one day!”

Badoo is easy to set up, simply set up your filter and match with those that catch your eye. If you like someone on the app and they like you back they will appear in your match list. You can also see who has recently visited your profile and who has added you as a favourite. People who have verified their profiles by providing a phone number or social media account will appear with a blue tick, so you know they’re genuine.

So you know what, maybe after reading this you may not have to survive being single at a wedding. You may have found the one with Badoo! Let me know what you think of the app.

So as many of you may know right now, I am officially getting married and need to shift some serious weight before I even start to try on some dresses let alone actually walk down that aisle. I thought I would do a monthly weigh in with a few of the things I have tried out throughout the month and how my weight is changing whether that be up or down! So I am going to aim to post these monthly if this one goes down well so please let me know what you think. Now that my holiday is out of the way, I have a clear run until Christmas so will be trying my best. My fiancé has also set up a training plan for me and kitted me out with some new gym equipment. He has also been taking my measurements bi-weekly so I can track those too.

For those who don’t want to read through the whole thing, I will do a quick summary at the top.

I recently heard about Fat Freezing treatments available at Pulse Light Clinic in London. It’s a non-surgical fat reduction treatment that treats that stubborn fat that exercise simply won’t touch! Once the fat has been removed, it is gone for good.

CoolSculpting is suitable for fat all over the body including double chins, love handles, back fat, saggy bums and flabby thighs. Fat freezing is exactly how it sounds, your fat literally gets frozen away in a safe, effective and FDA approved way. The technology used is called Cryolipolysis and is done without needles or surgery. The CoolSculpting pack is placed onto the area that is going to be treated and is left for only one hour. During this time the fat cells are being frozen which then causes them to die. They are then flushed out of your body! The below video is fantastic if you want to know a little bit more.

If you are looking to get this treatment done then you can contact the clinic on the below addresses:

Tottenham Court Road Clinic

5 Percy Street, London, W1T IDG

Tel: 0207 205 4085

Fenchurch Street Clinic

1st Floor, 152 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 6BB

Tel: 0207 523 5158

I won’t post my exact measurements but can tell you that this month I lost about 2 inches from each leg, and 4 inches around my stomach and waist. I also lost an inch from each arm, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing! Onto my weekly losses for this month, I have included some of the meals that I have been eating. Let me know if you have any questions – or what you think! And if you would like to see more of these posts please let me know and I can make sure I do that for you.

Week 1 – Weigh in (12 Stone 11.5 lbs)

This is my starting point after a week’s holiday in Wales eating to my heart’s content. , I knew that the scales weren’t going to like me today but it’s good to have a starting point. We started the week off with a Shepherd’s Pie, packed with veg and for the rest of the week our meals consisted of pasta bake with lean pork meatballs, vegetable chilli, salmon with stir fry vegetables and rice, slow cooked sausage casserole and lean turkey mince meatballs with pasta. For lunches I have been enjoying some vegetable soups and I have been snacking on fruit, yoghurt and lean meats.

Week 2 – Weigh in (12 Stone 7.5 lbs) -4lbs

This week I was pleased to see a loss after being back to healthy eating for a week. This week’s food consisted of a risotto, curry, sausage pasta bake, ostrich steaks, salmon and a Mediterranean chicken pilaf. I have also been snacking on grapes and lean meats as well as some low fat yoghurts. For lunches I made a spicy butternut squash soup with onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, celery and chilli which has been lovely and warming during the colder weather.

Week 3 – Weigh in (12 stone 7lbs) -0.5lbs

This week I had a reasonably good week food wise but the weekend knocked me well and truly off the wagon. I was lucky to scrape a loss this week I think! Pleased with my half a pound off, I sailed onto week 4.

Week 4 – Weigh in (12 stone 5.5lbs) – 1.5lbs

This week was what I called a ‘light’ week where I seem to get away with eating lots of food but still losing weight. It’s just one of those months I guess!

Monday, 9 October 2017

One of the first posts I wrote about on this blog when I revamped it was all about my first date with my fiancé. Where it all began. It’s hard to believe that was over 4 years ago now. He took me to the zoo to show me how to use my camera (well that was his excuse anyway!).

Recently we decided to recreate that first date and head back to the same zoo. It was such a nice experience to go back. It brought back memories from the first time we went. When we first went, James brought a picnic along with him so we did the same again. I packed sandwiches for us, sausage rolls, grapes, crisps and drinks. A bit more elaborate than the first time we came!

We wandered around the zoo pointing out things that we did last time and places that we looked around all those years ago. I remember thinking this was such a fun first date, a lot different to the types of dates that you see on TV. Having never really ‘dated’ before, it definitely was one to remember. I think first dates definitely set the mood for the rest of the relationship. A rubbish first date may mean that you won’t see the person again.

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

The September edition of My little box was a little late in arriving so I apologise for the delay in getting this post up. I like to trial the products before I write about them so needed to allow a bit more time before I got my review up. This month’s box was the Rouge edition. I was a little disappointed with the box design as it seemed a little plain compared to previous months however I liked the contents inside.

First up was this Nuxe - Huile Prodigieuse which retails at £17.50. This was a little sample of oil which can be used on your hair, face and body all year round. I have previously received one of these in a Glossybox years ago but don’t remember using it much and passed it on. I’m not one for putting oil on my face as my skin sometimes gets a bit oily but find this goes nice on the body and in the ends of my hair. Any other ideas for using this product would be greatly appreciated!

The second Nuxe product in this box was the shower oil with gold shimmer. This has a nice scent to it and doesn’t leave you covered in glitter so don’t worry about that! It’s a nice shower oil that left my skin feeling soft. I think I am going to save this for special occasions as the sample size will soon run out otherwise!

The My Little Beauty item was this gorgeous classic red lipstick. I really liked applying this product but do recommend using a suitable lip liner. It lasted on the lips well with my primer and top coat and the colour is a nice red, not too orange and not too pink. I think I will definitely get my wear out of this over the upcoming autumn/winter months!

The final item in this box was this white t-shirt with Les filles en Rouge which translates to ‘girls in red’. I always get a little bit annoyed when they put clothing items in the box as it’s a one size fits all dilemma which personally doesn’t fit me. It’s a little small but will come in handy for pyjamas I suppose! Shame really as it is a lovely t-shirt and the design is very chic and on trend.

Overall, I feel like there wasn’t a lot in this box this month but I was pleased to see a couple of Nuxe products as well as a My Little Beauty and a lifestyle piece. What did you think of this box?